


A Storytelling of Crows

by skid



Series: Tea and Tales [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: But also not, Coffee shop life, Everyone Is Alive, F/F, M/M, Tattoo artist Nishinoya!, Tattoo artist Yachi!, Tattoos and tea!, Tsukii is a NERD, Yama owns a tattoo shop!, Yamaguchi is a badass, he has sleeves!, he pretends he isnt, just be happy, precious little gays, what is tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-05 23:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5393684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skid/pseuds/skid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima Kei works in a coffee shop. He is standoffish, rude, and definitely doesn't have the people skills to be working in retail. He is also a closet romantic.</p><p>What happens when he meets the cute tattoo artist who's shop just moved in down the block?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Happy You're in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically all the store life!

_If you’ll be my star I’ll be your sky you can hide underneath me and come out at night…_

 

Boats and Birds was playing again on the soundtrack inside Storytelling: Tea and Fine Gift Emporium. The owner of the shop really liked the American songwriter Gregory And The Hawk, Tsukishima Kei couldn’t stand it, he understood some of what was being said and the instrumentals were okay but it was dreamy in a way that drove him crazy. He would give anything for a rousing rendition of something with a little more life. Heck, even the pop vibes of The Pillows would be better than this.

 

That’s just what he got for working at a tea and gift shop he supposed. Sure, he fit in, with his love for button up shirts and sweaters, his glasses, and his basically librarian-esque aura. The towering blonde boy snickered to himself, he wanted a little energy in his life and yet he went and chose to work at a quiet teashop in the middle of nowhere with selective clientele.

 

Sure enough one of those special customers came through the door at…yep 9 sharp! It was like clockwork really. This one was a cute (if Tsukishima was into girls) blonde who was so small she barely eclipsed the top of the computer sitting on the counter. He already knew what she would order, but he also knew she came into the shop for one reason and one reason only: Kiyoko Shimizu, his boss and the owner of Storytelling. He left her to it preferring to put stock on shelves and observe from afar, because (and he would never admit this to anyone) Tsukishima Kei was a closet romantic.

 

He talked the big talk (in life and in his own head) about wanting adventure and being tough but when it came down to it he loved his job. He loved a mug of tea as it got toward the evening, sitting down with a book, and listening to Kiyoko-san’s dreamy music playlists. He loved watching all of the couples that came to the shop on dates and helping customers pick out the perfect gifts for loved ones.

 

Other than their two part time workers, Kiyoko and Tsukishima were the only full time employees at Storytelling. He liked it that way. To be perfectly honest he couldn’t believe that he had been hired in the first place. His desire to hide behind that mask of dislike for anything soft and sweet came off as cold indifference and sarcasm. Sometimes his scathing wit drove everyone around him to stay as far from the boy as possible. In fact, he would say that his older brother was probably the only person who really thought of him with affection, outside their own parents. Kiyoko-san treated him kindly but probably because they didn’t work together that often and he tried to rein it in around her.

 

“K-Kiyoko-san…” their faithful regular, Yachi Hitoka, stammered out as the raven-haired beauty of an owner popped up from behind the counter and asked her what she would like.

 

It would seem she couldn’t get any further, the girls eyes were wide with fear of something. Perhaps rejection? He laughed quietly to himself. If only she knew how gay the owner of Storytelling was she might actually be willing to take a chance and say what she really wanted to say.

 

… _will you go our with me?_

Wait. Wait, he hadn’t _just_ thought that. No, she said that out loud!

 

“I’m sorry?” Kiyoko asked in surprise.

 

“I-uh, never mind!” Yachi moved to run from the store and never return to this embarrassment.

 

Kiyoko reached out her hand over the counter and took hold of Yachi’s arm.

 

“I really didn’t hear you…Yachi-san” She whispered, her cheeks pink, her eyes turned down. She hadn’t intended to make such a forward gesture but she had a feeling she knew what Yachi had asked and she had been waiting for weeks for their schedules to match up again before she could ask the same thing.

 

“W-will you go out with me?” Yachi looked up into the coffee shop owner’s eyes with hope.

 

The owners face flushed an attractive red and she put both hands around Hitoka’s, already in her grip. “Yes! I would love to…Hitoka-san”

 

Tsukishima turned away then and made himself busier. He had to hide the small happy smile rising to his lips and the flush of excitement on his cheeks. He couldn’t believe it had finally happened! It was about time!

 

“Tsukishima-kun!”

 

He wiped that gleeful expression off his face and turned, “Yes Kiyoko-san?”

 

“You’ll be okay on your own for a bit until Asahi comes in right?”

 

“Sure” He nodded, looking bored even though he was elated.

 

His manager nodded back at him and then smiled at her date, it would seem they were jumping at the soonest opportunity to spend time with each other. They left the shop, the bell above the door tinkling, leaving Tsukishima to experience the full range of hopeless romantic emotions.

 

Leaving him to feel a little sorry for himself, all alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one will be up soon and you'll get a little Yamaguchi action!


	2. Call Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they are all kind of short but this will probably end up being a long haul with a bit of some side stories on other relationships as well!

Asahi came into the shop all too soon in Tsukishima’s opinion. Asahi Azumane was a tall man who looked to be about 40 even though he was probably closer to 27. Their other part-timer, Sawamura Daichi, had been Asahi’s childhood friend and he swore up and down that Asahi looked 35 when he was 16. Tsukishima thought that was probably pushing it but he couldn’t deny that Asahi looked like a burly mountain of a man. He was near as tall as Tsukishima, but broader and more muscled. His hair was rich brown and long, he almost always pulled it into a messy bun on top of his head which made him look like one of those lost hipsters who seemed to think this shop was their home. He was also almost never clean-shaven, which was probably why he looked older than he was. Tsukishima poked fun at him, in his slightly cruel way, for that because without a beard he would probably look his own age.

 

At Asahi’s arrival the shop seemed to get busier, almost as if the customers were staying away from Tsukishima’s cold personality. Tsukishima assigned himself to bar and put Asahi on till. Both were needed for the lunch rush at the counter, after they would be able to act as shop keeps and help people find gifts around the store.

 

Tsukishima loved working bar. He wasn’t as quick as Kiyoko was but he was quicker than their part-timers. He enjoyed the mechanics of getting every drink out on time. He started the milk, filled a tea bag with the chosen loose-leaf, put water in a quarter of the cup, then added the milk with a hefty dose of froth.

 

The line started to taper down after an hour and he checked his phone absentmindedly, a text from Kiyoko saying she wouldn’t be finishing her shift had come in about 20 minutes ago, Tsukishima didn’t really care, it was _her_ business. 15 minutes later the shop was back to the light stream of customers and he was able to leave the bar to finish stocking their shelves.

 

The bell above the door rang and he didn’t bother to look up, Asahi would handle it, he was better with people. Then he heard a cough from behind him.

 

“What?” He said sharply, turning to glare above the rims of his glasses and tell his co-worker to just do his job, but stopping because there was a man in front of him who was definitely not the awkward mountain man Asahi.

 

The man before him was nearly as tall as he was but he had messy brown hair that looked like it could never be tamed no matter the amount of product put into it. His eyes were a warm brown that Tsukishima swore could see right through his icy demeanor. The thing that was the most enthralling though wasn’t the beautiful botanical tattoos that formed sleeves up both the man’s arms but the constellations of freckles splashed across his face and down his neck, into the collar of his shirt. Tsukishima wondered if they covered his whole body or if the man covered them up with more tattoos. He hoped not.

 

Wait, what was he thinking? It wasn’t like he was going to get to _see_ anything. This man was here for…oh god how long had he been standing here ogling the poor guy?

 

“Sorry” the man said, before Tsukishima could get any words to form coherently.

 

“Shut up” Tsukishima responded habitually. Fuck. He should really apologize! Ah well, it was too late now; he’d said it already. “What do _you_ have to be sorry for?”

 

“Oh! Uh, well, I was just standing here staring at you and I sort of forgot I had something to actually say to you” The man chuckled and absently scratched the back of his neck with his right hand.

 

“ _Well_ …?” Tsukishima was amused, not at all bothered, but he still tapped one foot and spoke as if he was impatient.

 

“I own the new tattoo shop down the way, my name is Yamaguchi Tadashi, and I was just wondering if you would put some of our cards on your counter? We would be happy to do the same for you!” Yamaguchi rambled out as quickly as he could; boy this icy blond was intimidating!

 

“I will give you some of our cards but I would have to discuss displaying yours with the owner” Tsukishima responded calmly, it probably came off as coolly.

 

“A-alright” Yamaguchi stuttered and waited to be lead to the counter for the cards.

 

Tsukishima sighed as if he was being put out and placed the stock into the basket on the floor beside the shelves. He walked behind the counter and reached for a stack of Kiyoko’s business cards. He handed them to Yamaguchi and thought, “there he goes! I’ll never see that beautiful face again now that he’s witnessed my personality!” Some days he was seriously…pathetic.

 

“Storytelling…that’s an interesting name” The tattooed man mused.

 

“Yeah?” Tsukishima challenged. Asked! God! Why did he have to make everything so damn intimidating!

 

“Well, I mean, you might expect to see it as two words you know? Like story telling, telling a story, not storytelling, one word” Yamaguchi babbled trying to defend himself and back up what he had said.

 

“Uh, I mean, _yeah_. It…it is different. Storytelling is another name for a group of crows. Like a murder of crows, a storytelling of crows” Tsukishima replied, Yamaguchi’s energy destroying what little cool he was managing to maintain, and he flushed almost imperceptibly, readjusting his glasses.

 

“Oh! That’s cool! My shop isn’t really originally named I guess…” Yamaguchi laughed lightly, self-consciously, and handed Tsukishima a stack of business cards that said, in big letters, GO INK YOURSELF.

 

Tsukishima had to duck down behind the counter to prevent a laugh, a single loud laugh, from escaping his lips at that name. He managed to regain his composure enough to merely smirk and then realized he needed a reason to be so close to the floor. He popped back up with that same smirk and tried to school his face into looking friendlier toward Yamaguchi than before.

 

“I think it’s…poignant.” He replied with a (very) small smile, then before he could change his mind, “If you need anything, feel free…”

 

He handed Yamaguchi his personal business card and hoped he didn’t have to say anything else for him to get that he was saying, “call me”. The tattoo artist smiled and merely waved before leaving the teashop. In that exit he was infinitely cooler than Tsukishima could ever pretend to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming, probably tomorrow!
> 
> Thanks to all of you readers <3


	3. Fraternizing with the enemy (ish)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little short but I have actually written a lot more so once I've done a bit more editing you'll get another chapter! Might be a two chapter day today!

As soon as he was out of the store Yamaguchi exhaled audibly. If it weren’t for that intimidating, and rather rude, stunner of a shopkeeper the place would have been cozy. To be fair Yamaguchi could tell that the guy wasn’t really rude just incredibly socially awkward…and rude.

 

He thought it was kind of hot.

 

No! Nope! Not a good idea…but the guy _had_ basically told him to call him when he gave him his personal business card.

 

Yamaguchi wandered down the block to his shop and opened the door, the double beep of the motion detector alerting the two other artists in the shop that someone had arrived. He nodded to Nishinoya Yuu, the short energetic watercolor specialist, who was finishing up a care procedure talk with a customer and looked around for Yachi Hitoka, their resident geometrical artist.

 

“Hey Noya?” Yamaguchi asked after searching the back offices, “Where is Yachi-san?”

 

“Oh she said she was going to finally get her that date! You know, the one with the mystery girl she was all flustered about? And I told her to go get some!” Nishinoya exclaimed excitedly, then in an almost conspiratorial and pouty fashion, “Besides it’s not like either of us are getting any”

 

“I thought you had gone on a few dates with that tall brooding guy from the cycle shop!”

 

“Yeah,” Nishinoya sighed, running a hand through his brown hair and pulling on his blond streak in vexation, “that didn’t pan out. We kissed once and then he declared he was most definitely into women! I would rather not be someone’s experiment thank you!” The artist flung himself into the nearby rolling chair and wheeled across the shop in mock despair.

 

“God. That definitely isn’t where you want to be” Yamaguchi sympathized.

 

“And it isn’t as if you, our fearless leader, is getting any either!” Nishinoya said pointedly.

 

“I could if I wanted to!” Yamaguchi snapped back and then looked at his feet ashamedly, “Sorry. I guess I am a bit-“

 

“Pent up? Yeah dude, we all noticed!” Nishinoya laughed, “Take a chance with someone random! I hear Sugawara, at the flower shop, is going pretty steady with some beau he picked up fighting over the last scone at a coffee shop or something. Maybe ask one of those baristas at that teashop? The blond one looks kind of cold but he’s your type-“

 

“Okay Noya! That’s enough!” Yamaguchi cut him off before he was reduced to blushing at the thought of doing anything remotely romantic with…wow, he hadn’t even gotten his name! Yamaguchi took out the business card the man had given him and looked at the name, Tsukishima Kei. He didn’t even realize he was smiling to himself when hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed the card from him.

 

“You dog! You have his card!”

 

“Noya give that back! I, it’s nothing okay!”

 

“Nothing?” Nishinoya laughed and ran around the shop avoiding Yamaguchi’s attempts to grab it, “But you blushed so prettily Yama-kun!”

 

Thank god there weren’t any patients in the store or this would be incredibly unprofessional, as it was…. Yamaguchi made a last ditch attempt to grab the card and succeeded.

 

“Ha!!” He gloated with a shout, “It doesn’t matter Noya. I couldn’t go out with him anyway. They are basically potential business partners and it wouldn’t be a good idea. What if we broke up? What if it affected our business?”

 

At just that moment he spotted Yachi Hitoka across the small street with the owner of Storytelling: Tea and Fine Gift Emporium. Kiyoko Shimizu leaned in and gave Yachi a quick peck on the lips leaving both of them pleasantly pink and shyly wishing each other a good day.

 

He looked at Nishinoya. Nishinoya’s mouth was open in surprise and he pointed out the window in the women’s direction.

 

Well, if Yachi could do it then…

 

“You know what? Fuck it!” Yamaguchi pulled out his cell phone and started dialing Tsukishima Kei’s number. What was the worst that could happen, right?


	4. The worst that could happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry!

Yamaguchi shouldn’t have thought that. He should have known that even in thinking _what is the worst that could happen_ the worst would happen.

 

He had called, sure enough, and then realized he didn’t know what to do. Ask Yamaguchi to stab you full of ink for a gloriously detailed botanical tattoo and he could help you out, ask him if he knew how to go about getting a first date out of anyone and he would draw a blank. He had dialed the number fine and then panicked and hung up. A few minutes later he heard the tell tale buzz of his phone and knew it was probably Tsukishima returning his dropped call.

 

And how does he answer?

 

“Heeey Tsukii!”

 

Tsukii. Not Tsukishima. Not even Kei, which would be horridly informal. No. _Tsukii_. Fuck. His. Life.

 

“Uh…who is this?” came the lazy, no-care, voice from the other end. He knew who it was.

 

“Umm…” Yamaguchi coughed and mentally told himself to get a grip, “It’s Yamaguchi Tadashi. The…the tattoo artist from earlier?”

 

“Oh. Did you want something?”

 

“Yes!” _a date with you_ , “what tea should I buy?” _What_.

 

“What?” Tsukishima sounded confused and (dare he hope?) sort of disappointed.

 

“I mean, if I was going to…to get tea for someone what tea would you recommend?” Yamaguchi was quite close to punching the wall in frustration, Nishinoya laughing silently at his plight. He really couldn’t say, like, eight simple words and ask this guy to go on a date with him? He had been under the needle more times then he could count and survived the adrenaline rush from that experience yet he couldn’t scrape together the mental capacity to get through this?

 

“Who is it for” Tsukishima interrogated. Was Yamaguchi imagining this or did the voice on the other end sound vaguely threatening?

 

“I dunno. Uh, no! I uh, you know I’ll just come into the store later!” He stammered out.

 

“Oh. Okay then.” Tsukishima said, he hung up without saying goodbye.

 

________

 

It had been a week since he had received that strange phone call from Yamaguchi, inked-up wonder boy, and during that week Tsukishima had started to note his comings and goings about their little shopping district.

 

A few days ago the man had, indeed, come in and bought some tea. He didn’t ask Tsukishima to help him. He had the tea gift-wrapped. Who was it for?

 

Just the other day Yamaguchi was seen getting a bunch of flowers delivered from Everything Nice, run by Daichi’s handsome (if slightly effeminate) boyfriend Sugawara Koushi. Who had ordered them?

 

Then when the man himself came into the shop today and noticed the only one working was Tsukishima and promptly run back out the blond couldn’t take it any more.

 

He had to corner the tattoo artist and figure out what was going on. Because, frankly, it pissed Tsukishima off to think about Yamaguchi having a romantic life when he couldn’t even get a date. And honestly, ever since the tattoo artist had called him “Tsukii” on the phone a whole week prior, it sort of pissed him off to think of anyone other than himself dating Yamaguchi.

 

Drastic measures had to be taken and the only thing he could think of was to use his lunch break to march over there and figure out who Yamaguchi was seeing and if Tsukishima could make him disappear.

 

He pushed open the door to the shop, the double beep of the motion sensor causing three people to look up at him.

 

Tsukishima panicked.

 

“I want a tattoo”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will update tomorrow.


	5. Phobic Idiot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have stopped editing in my haze to memorize Latin. If there are big mistakes I will fix them eventually!

Three pairs of eyes stared at Tsukishima as if he’d grown an extra head. The tiny woman from earlier, Yachi (small vanilla chai latte), raised her eyebrows as high as they could go and then looked at the two other artists as if to say, “If this is happening I won’t be the one to do it”.

 

Yamaguchi didn’t know what to do. Over the past week he had tried repeatedly to go and talk with Tsukishima face to face but every time he did he would flake out and end up doing something else. As it was he now had a wrapped gift of tea for Tsukishima, a subscription at Everything Nice for flowers once every other week (thinking eventually he would get up the courage to give them to Tsukishima), and more cases of bruised pride than he could account for. Who knew that a week of pursuit could be so damaging?

 

And now the man in question was in his shop, right there, and he hadn’t come to speak to Yamaguchi. No. He had come to get a tattoo? He didn’t really look like the type to get inked honestly. Although Yamaguchi could think of a few floral pieces that would look good on those arms and shoulders.

 

“I’m Nishinoya Yuu, I can help you out!” Nishinoya offered, “What are we thinking?”

 

Damn it! Yamaguchi cursed his ability to daydream. He missed out on a chance to interact over something legitimate that wasn’t intimidating, like romance.

 

Tsukishima looked at Nishinoya blank faced and shrugged, “I don’t know but I want to get it over with today if possible”

 

Mentally Tsukishima was freaking the fuck out. A tattoo? What on earth was that reaction? Why did he say he wanted a tattoo? He didn’t want a tattoo! He just wanted to ask the cute guy with the freckles out for dinner or coffee or something! Tsukishima was (maybe) a little afraid of needles.

 

“Okay then,” Nishinoya took it all in stride, thinking about how he was going to enjoy screwing with this guy. He flipped to a page in one of his portfolios and held it up “I have the perfect piece. How about this one?”

 

It looked like an image of a nebula with stars being formed in pink, purple, and blue clouds. It was, in all honesty, very beautiful but it was also almost a completely coloured work that would mean hours of ink time…hours of having to put up with needles and blood and…Tsukishima felt faint just thinking about it.

 

The poor barista really didn’t have a clue how tattoos worked.

 

“Uh, that is nice but I was hoping for something a little smaller?” He said, his voice just a little shakier than he would like.

 

“Smaller?” Nishinoya repeated and then shook his head, “NO PROBLEM!” He shouted and flipped through the book again landing on a page, “How about this one?”

 

Nishinoya’s definition of smaller wasn’t the same as Tsukishima’s. This was wasn’t the near half sleeve that the previous one had been but it would still cover up a big chunk of skin. It was a red poppy with billowing petals that seemed to bleed out of colour, a thin green stem jut out of the base like an arrow.

 

He wasn’t going to get better and at least he liked flowers, Tsukishima thought, at least he could live with this.

 

“Sure, that will do” he said and walked over to the section of the shop Nishinoya indicated.

 

Yamaguchi couldn’t believe this was happening. Did Tsukishima even want to get a tattoo? Did he realize this wasn’t temporary?! Holy crap what if he didn’t and this was a horrible shock? What if he wasn’t thinking clearly and regretted this and then sued? Yamaguchi was starting to fidget, the blood draining from his face, he wasn’t sure he could be around for this.

 

“Okay” he heard Nishinoya say to Tsukishima, “This won’t hurt a bit”

 

There was a whirring noise from the tattoo machine for about five seconds and then it abruptly shut off.

 

“Dude!” Nishinoya was shaking him out of his reverie, “I think Blondie fainted!”

 

Yamaguchi turned around to the chair that Tsukishima had moved to and sure enough he was completely passed out, and pale. Looks like his fears hadn’t been too far off the mark, Tsukishima must have a needle phobia. He ran his fingers through his hair and started to laugh. He couldn’t help it the whole situation was hilarious! His eyes started to water and he had to double over to get air into his lungs.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Yachi yelled, “A customer just passed out and you’re laughing?”

 

Nishinoya dialed for the ambulance, standard procedure, and then started to clean up what little he had actually bothered to prepare. He had sort of known that this tattoo wasn’t going to happen and if it had he would have mocked the poor guy for months, maybe even years, so long as the two of them continued to work within the same block radius.

 

Yamaguchi managed to steady himself and actually go check on poor Tsukishima. He was breathing fine and didn’t seem to be in much distress (now that the threat of a tattoo wasn’t on his mind). He looked peaceful asleep, less cold and armored. It was almost as if he was only so abrasive because he couldn’t deal with people and not because that was his real personality. Yamaguchi smiled to himself at the thought of Tsukii being a shy, closet romantic, and almost reached a hand out to touch his cheek. He stopped himself, if only because he realized he had thought of Tsukishima with that accidental nickname again. Tsukii…it seemed to fit him. Well, even if only in his head, Yamaguchi could call him that he supposed.

 

The ambulance arrived and the paramedics came in to check him out. They said he was probably just out from shock but that it wouldn’t do any harm to take him in to the hospital and make sure. Yamaguchi offered to go along for the ride and told Yachi to call Kiyoko Shimizu about her fallen worker, he was certain that Tsukii was the only one working today.

 

Now he would just have to figure out what to say once Tsukishima was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your wonderful comments and for sticking with me this far! Should be wrapping this story up soon. I'm thinking of writing a few other pieces in the same little world.


	6. What I want most...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've been so long in getting this up!

Tsukishima slowly blinked the world into focus. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t somewhere he recognized and he was lying down.

 

What happened?

 

Oh dear god! He sat up with a jolt and scrambled to search the majority of his body. He had gone to the tattoo shop and that sadist Nishinoya had offered to give him a tattoo! He must have passed out…

 

It was in this moment that he realized two things: one, he was in a hospital room and not the tattoo shop. Two, a pair of big brown eyes were looking at him with great concern.

 

“Tsukii? Are you okay?” Yamaguchi asked, grabbing his hand and looking at him with urgency.

 

“Shut up, yes, I’m fine” Tsukishima looked away from the tattooist blushing, he had used that cute nickname again. Anyone else and Tsukishima would probably have decked them by now but for some reason when Yamaguchi used it it didn’t bother him.

 

“Sorry. You...” Yamaguchi started to snicker then and soon he was actually laughing, “You’re afraid of needles aren’t you? Why did you say you wanted a tattoo if you were afraid?” He couldn’t hold it together. The image of Tsukishima asking for the tattoo and then stubbornly going through with it until he passed out was funny now that he was awake and medically cleared.

 

“Sh-shut up!” Tsukishima said plaintively, “I…” he mumbled something and looked away.

 

They were still holding hands.

 

“What?” Yamaguchi asked, “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you”

 

“I wanted to ask you out” Tsukishima said still looking anywhere but at him.

 

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and he couldn’t stop the grin that burst over his features.

 

“You did?” He questioned in disbelief, and then, “But why would that lead you to getting a tattoo? If you’re so afraid of needles then you probably should have known better!”

 

“I got nervous okay?” Tsukishima shouted, “And I have actually wanted a tattoo for a while but needles” he lowered his voice, “needles freak me out and I haven’t ever gone through with it and then I saw you and didn’t know what to say to explain why I was in your shop. Plus you’re seeing someone else anyway…” He let go of Yamaguchi’s hand.

 

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened a little at that and in a split second thought about how everything he had done in the past week could have been interpreted as romance with another party. He was going to correct him but a doctor walked in before he could say anything.

 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist visiting hours are over” The doctor looked pointedly at Yamaguchi until he moved as if to leave, then, “Mr. Tsukishima and I have to discuss his medical history”

 

Yamaguchi sighed; he knew he couldn’t get away with staying through that unless he was a spouse or relative, even boyfriend would be pushing it. But damned if he didn’t wish he were able to tell Tsukii that he _wasn’t_ seeing anyone!

 

________

 

Once Yamaguchi had left the doctor turned on him and given him a stern lecture about the state of his blood sugar levels. It would seem Tsukishima hadn’t been eating enough complex foods for his body to sustain itself and then the rise in adrenaline from his phobia of needles knocked him flat on his ass.

 

He promised to watch his diet more carefully and signed a few forms pertaining to his release. When he finally got out of there he wasn’t surprised that Yamaguchi hadn’t waited around. There were businesses to run after all! Tsukishima hailed a cab from the front of the building and directed the driver to take him back to work. It was nearing the evening and they would have just passed the after work rush but he could at least work closing and make up for some of the time he lost from being an idiot in love.

 

In love? Tsukishima shook his head free of the metaphorical cobwebs, he hadn’t even managed to go on a date with the handsome man whose freckles reminded him of constellations, who was probably in a loving and long term committed relationship with someone perfect.

 

He gave himself a light little slap on the cheek as if to say, “Snap out of it! You might be a lovesick moron but you can find someone else who isn’t intimidated by you…probably.”

 

He finally arrived at Storytelling and waltzed into the shop. He was about to put on his apron when a delicate hand stopped him. He turned to deliver a glare like no one had previously experienced when he was met with his boss’s look of concern.

 

“Tsukishima-kun,” She said, “you _can_ take the day off! I don’t need you to do closing, you passed out today. And what were you thinking…”

 

She rambled on admonishing him for a few minutes on his unthinking actions but when she realized he wasn’t going to go home she shrugged.

 

“Alright, well, if you insist”

 

The two of them worked through the early part of the evening shift but soon he told her to go home. There weren’t any customers and clean up wouldn’t be a problem. She was reluctant but, on the receiving end of one of his _looks_ , she decided that he could probably handle it.

 

Left to the shop with no one around he finished filling shelves with stock; new books that had come in, candles and antiques, small trinkets, tea. Shimizu’s dreamy playlist was back on (as opposed to her _wake up it’s morning_ playlist or the _power clean work stuff_ playlist).

 

All he wanted was a meet cute in a café. Like when Yachi and Shimizu met, or when they finally got up the nerve to ask each other out, or when Suga met Daichi last Christmas and kept sending him flowers.

 

Tsukishima sighed, he wanted that more than anything in the world.

 

He wanted that with Yamaguchi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the next chapter will be the last one but don't worry, it won't be the last you hear of this cute shopping district family!
> 
> Thanks to all of you for your lovely compliments and for reading <3
> 
> The next one should be up in the next week depending on Christmas crazy.


	7. Just leave me your stardust

He was just about to shut down the bar when he heard the bell over the door ring.

 

“One tea latte. To stay, please”

 

Tsukishima spoke as he raised his head to look up at the patron entering so close to closing, “Look man, I’m not fucking turning this thing…” He stopped.

 

Yamaguchi was standing in front of him with a bouquet of flowers and a gift wrapped in the navy paper with silver stars that Storytelling used as their trademark wrapping paper.

 

“Wh-what are you doing here?” Tsukishima asked suddenly loosing his mask of cool.

 

Yamaguchi shrugged as if it didn’t matter and held out the gift. He was standing too far from the counter for Tsukishima to reach it. The little twinkle lights that Shimizu added only the other day seemed to light up the flowers and leaves on his arms and make the freckles on his cheeks sparkle.

 

Tsukishima really had to stop thinking these poetic thoughts before his hopeless romanticism became a contagious disease.

 

He stepped around the side of the counter and walked close to Yamaguchi taking the present.

 

“What is it?” he asked.

 

“A gift for a friend” Yamaguchi replied.

 

He placed the gift on one of the small tables and sat down without indicating the other chair. Yamaguchi still took it.

 

Yamaguchi watched as Tsukii hemmed and hawed over how to unwrap the present. The way he fiddled as if not wanting to damage the paper or the ribbon really showed his true personality. He was careless with his words but everything else…he was kind.

 

Tsukishima settled on prying the sides open and sliding the box out. He looked at it for a second and then looked back at Yamaguchi.

 

“You got me flowering tea?” He asked.

 

“And these are for you too” Yamaguchi placed the bouquet he had been holding close to Tsukishima on the table.

 

“So...you don’t have a boyfriend?” Tsukishima asked.

 

“What if it was a girlfriend?” Yamaguchi asked mock seriously.

 

His joke didn’t play out very well. Tsukishima went pale and almost jumped out of his chair. As it was he stood leaving the gifts on the table and backed up a few paces.

 

“You-you aren’t gay? I guess I didn’t even ask. God, I am really sorry, that was dumb of me, I wasn’t…” He rambled on and did that cute thing where he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand to hide any real feelings.

 

Yamaguchi laughed in a way that lifted the gravity of the situation and shook his head, “No I am definitely gay. So, you’ve already fouled this up as much as anyone could, why don’t you ask me now?”

 

Tsukishima stared at him blankly, “Ask you what?”

 

Yamaguchi stood and moved to place his hand on the back of the chair Tsukii had been occupying. Only a few feet remained between them.

 

“Ask me out, Tsukishima”

 

Tsukii looked from Yamaguchi to the door a couple times as if debating what would be less terrifying, asking the man out or leaving without locking up and facing Shimizu.

 

“Would you…like to go out sometime?” Tsukishima whispered staring at the ground.

 

He felt a finger lift his chin up and met Yamaguchi’s beautiful brown eyes.

 

“Only if you kiss me. Right now”

 

Tsukishima didn’t wait another second to close the distance between them and press their lips together. He had been picturing this moment since he met the artist and it was exactly as he had imagined. Only better. Yamaguchi’s lips were soft and attentive. They didn’t mash their faces together like hyperactive teens, they moved slowly, exploring the feeling of each other. His arms moved to surround Yamaguchi’s waist as the tattooed man’s hands entwined themselves in Tsukishima’s hair. It was warm, and breath-catching, and they both felt as if they were falling into each other through mingling lips and tongues.

 

Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk was playing over the sound system.

 

_If you’ll be my star I’ll be your sky, you can hide underneath me and come out at night…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that! That is the tale! 
> 
> Thank you so much for all your kind words and for sticking with me through this. Because I love you all so much I finished this before Christmas AND I am going to post a special bonus chapter in a little while. A bit of a bonus scene really.
> 
> Also, I will be writing a few more stories in this little universe, what one would you like to hear the most?


	8. BONUS CHAPTER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little one shot scene to hold you over. I will be writing the story of Daishi and Suga in this world and Noya and Asahi as well :)

Tsukishima hadn’t ever intended to get a tattoo, due mainly to the negative associations of tattoos with gang involvement. He _had_ thought about it though. There was something to modifying your body with indelible ink that said, “this is a part of me and I am my own person”. Before Go Ink Yourself had arrived on the block Tsukishima had dallied with the idea of getting an armband tattoo on his left bicep. Then he felt like that was ridiculous because only macho guys with no feelings sported those. Later he went back to wanting it, deciding he probably was one of those macho guys with no feelings…or he had made a prejudiced assumption of the people who had armband tattoos and really most of them were pretty great. It was probably the latter.

 

In the months he and Tadashi had been dating he learned a lot about his boyfriends tattoos and reasons for becoming a tattoo artist. One reason was that Yamaguchi believed everyone eventually returned to nature, hence the specialization in botanical tattoos. Another was that he loved giving his artwork to a life, which would in turn give life to his art. Predominantly though, Tadashi’s reason for getting his sleeves had been his distaste for the freckles on his body. He felt he was already outcast from the social norm because of them; tattoos gave him an edge that was as much a thing of beauty as it was a shield from harm.

 

Tsukishima learned that the tattoos did not, in fact, cover any more of Yamaguchi’s skin than his arms…and one space just near his right hip.

 

It was today, however, that really marked a turning point in their trust of one another. Today Tsukishima was going to get that armband tattoo.

 

He was still afraid of needles! Make no mistake, that hadn’t changed. But he had allowed Tadashi to talk him into getting that slightly taboo thing that he had wanted for quite some time.

 

The tattoo was something Tadashi had designed but been saving for the right person. Tsukishima was honored that he was “the right person” and also relieved that Yamaguchi would be the one to work on him. His experience with Nishinoya had traumatized him a little. The armband had moonflower buds, blackberry brambles, and pansies of different varieties done in faded, near gray scale, colours. The description sounded eclectic but all in all it was full and delicate. The badass eternal with the softer internal meaning was what Tadashi had wanted to create and it was definitely Tsukii.

 

There wasn’t anyone else in the shop and Tadashi made sure Kei had eaten enough throughout the day so his blood sugar levels weren’t horribly low. He sat in the chair and had his arm cleaned, the stencil placed on his skin, and heard the horrifying whirr of the tattoo machine. His eyes filled with panic but Yamaguchi just leaned in and kissed him, lightly brushing their lips together, promising it would be alright.

 

At first it was fairly painful and then it became background sensation, all of his receptors were on overload and he could see why some people became addicted to getting body art. It was a rush! The inner arm was the most painful, he bit his lip trying not to complain, he felt a little overwhelmed with everything and Tadashi asked if he needed a break before they continued. He knew if they took a break he wouldn’t get it done and he would be left with half a tattoo, pretty in concept but probably sketched and not satisfying to look at…and Nishinoya would probably kidnap him and try to finish it while he was sleeping or something. That would be a disaster.

 

“What’s that face you’re making?” Tadashi asked laughing, he sounded like he was fully present for the conversation but his tongue peaking out from the corner of his mouth gave way to his concentration on the task at hand.

 

“I was just thinking about Noya and how much of a hassle he is,” Kei said bluntly, hissing at a particularly painful point in the process. He caught Tadashi’s eyes and tried to convey all of his emotion into one glance, “I’m glad you’re the one doing this”

 

“Me too” came the quiet reply.

 

The whole process took an hour and a half. It didn’t look like any touch ups would be needed off the bat either but if they did at least Kei knew the owner of the shop. Wait, no, fuck that. If he needed touch ups he wasn’t going to do anything about it. That process was painful as shit and _Noya_ would have to kidnap him to get him back in that position.

 

“That’ll be $600” Tadashi’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

 

“WHAT?!” Kei yelled, livid, “YOU TALKED ME INTO THIS! I DIDN’T EVEN WANT IT!”

 

Tadashi was in tears he was laughing so hard, he tried to take a breath but couldn’t, he sunk to the floor trying to fill his lungs with air.

 

“DO NOT LAUGH AT ME YOU ARE HORRIBLE! WHY DO I EVEN LOVE YOU?!” Kei shouted, now just miffed for being the butt of a joke.

 

Tadashi’s laugher subsided almost instantly.

 

“You love me?” He asked, eyes wide. He stood and took a step towards Kei.

 

“Oh…. Go ink yourself!!” Kei huffed and turned to stomp out of the store.

 

He walked a few steps but then felt a hand grab his arm and he looked back at Tadashi, softening at the look of wonder and questioning in his lovers eyes.

 

“Yes. I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of love! Thanks for reading!


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